In the description that follows the expression “escalator” also is used to describe a moving walkway and the expression “step” also embraces moving walkway plates.
The steps of a conventional escalator are fastened to two transport chains and form together therewith an endless, circulating step belt, which runs over a respective pair of transport chainwheels at each of the two ends of the escalator, wherein one transport chainwheel pair belongs to a drive station and drives the step belt and the other chainwheel pair is part of a step belt deflecting station. The individual steps of the step belt are equipped with two front and two rear guide rollers, at which the steps are guided by guide and deflecting cams, which are predominantly fastened to the support construction of the escalator in a positionally-dependent defined location.
In escalators or moving walkways the handrails must, according to regulation, move synchronously or substantially synchronously with the step belt or plate belt. The advance of the handrails relative to the step belt amount can amount at most to 10%.
The handrails consist of endless rubber belts or plastic material belts which are provided with tensile carriers and reinforcements, have a C-shaped cross-section and slide on specially shaped handrail guide profiles. Other materials can also be used.
Whereas in the past wide and massive closed sheet steel balustrades were commonplace, in more recent times balustrades of safety glass have increasingly gained acceptance. These glass balustrades make possible a construction appearing slimmer and lighter without prejudicing the required stability.
In the case of escalators and moving walkways of that kind there is placed on the glass plate, which forms the balustrade a clamping plate which mounts the handrail by way of roller bearings and serves as a sliding guide. Laterally of the balustrade the clamping plate extends in a U-shape respectively towards the ends of the C-shaped cross-section of the handrail. In order to provide compensation for tolerances a gap must be left between the clamping plate and the handrail, since a handrail end which bears there would produce considerable friction which would lead to unacceptable heating and would increase required drive power as well as wear.
For this reason a gap or air gap has to be left between the handrail entry and handrail. The handrail entry is an opening in the balustrade through which the endless handrail is guided in order to be led back.
A gap or air gap of that kind is a safety risk. Due to the play present at both sides, the gap width can reach finger thickness, so that insertion of a finger, particularly by a child, and thus the risk of pinching and other injuries for the passenger, are not excluded.
Accordingly, efforts have been undertaken to produce a deflector surface to prevent finger insertion into the gap. In the case in a escalator or a moving walkway with a glass balustrade there has been designed, at the upper stair (framework) head and at the lower stair (framework) head or at the upper moving walkway head and at the lower moving walkway head a respective right and left finger contact protection covers. It has become known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,977 to provide the finger protection cover of the handrail entry of an escalator with bristles.
A disadvantage of such a solution is that the bristles have a very short service life due to the constant wear by the handrail. The forces exerted by the handrail or the hands of passengers damage the structure of the bristles, which have insufficient stability of shape. Such bristles also have to be designed to be thin and then have poor discernability to the view of passengers.
The present invention thus has an objective of creating an escalator or moving walkway having a handrail contact protection cover which enables improved safety against insertion of objects into a handrail entry. Further objectives of the invention are to provide such a cover that may be manufactured simply and economically, which has a long service life, and which has exhibited constant protection, and a stable shape.